


A Place To Belong

by Eustacia Vye (eustaciavye)



Category: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-08
Updated: 2017-11-08
Packaged: 2019-01-31 02:37:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12666558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eustaciavye/pseuds/Eustacia%20Vye
Summary: Being King of Atlantis isn't as easy as it sounds.





	A Place To Belong

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mithrel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mithrel/gifts).



It wasn't in Milo's nature to stay idle. If he hadn't been studying or working on proposals at the university, he fixed items and continued to look into other fields. He was filled with a constant, nervous energy whenever he wasn't deeply engrossed in some kind of academia. With Atlantis now free of outside threat again, the city was calm and peaceful. People farmed, herded the animals, continued crafting, and continued caring for each other.

Milo was _bored._

There was infrastructure to repair, buildings and murals and all kinds of larger spaces that had fallen into ruin. He wanted to climb through them, map out the remains of spacious halls, take notes on half decayed murals. Carving the memorial for Kida's father had been painstaking work for him, even with the help of the power crystals, and now he was left in the wake of a big project. It was a let down almost similar to a depressive state, but he wasn't actually depressed. Being in the very place his grandfather had talked about, that he had studied, was gratifying. Every day was still an adventure. He was even King by dint of marrying Kida. Not that the title really mattered to him. Just being with her and her people was exhilarating, speaking their languages and writing in their runic script. It was a dream come true for him.

The let down was because he had no other plans or dreams. He'd never stopped to think of what to do after he found Atlantis. To be perfectly honest, Milo hadn't really been sure that he would ever find it.

Kida raced him to the top of the palace, laughing and grinning the whole way. She wasn't the stoic her father had become, and remained her usual self. The people loved her unconditionally, and knew she was theirs just as they were hers. "We're all family," she had explained once, when Milo had described his life and country Before Atlantis. "We work for the good of the city, because we're all we have. It has to work."

"And when people don't want to?"

"We find a place for them to belong," she said simply. "There is much to be done, so we can find a job that fits. Not all want to work a farm or field. But there are animals and crafts of all kinds. There is looking after the little ones. There is maintaining the songs and stories of our people. There is fishing and swimming and climbing, clearing the old stones and fixing the homes. We find the work to do."

It was a practical kind of life, and maybe that was the problem. Milo may not have ever been idle, but his life had always been about study. He learned esoteric things, the lore of worlds long since gone.

That gave him an idea. "Would the people want to read and write?" he asked, brightening. "I can do that. I can be just as useful."

"You _are_ useful," Kida told him, a fond smile on her face. "You helped to save us from the outsiders that would use me as a weapon."

"Yes. But now... now I'm not as useful. I'm not used to sitting around."

"But as a scholar, surely you _are_ used to being at study."

"I guess so," Milo said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Okay, I'm used to being physically still. But my brain is usually all over the place. And right now, it's just... not."

"What do kings do on your part of the world?"

"Not a clue, really. Treaties or international work, I guess." He sat heavily in an ornate chair that was far more comfortable than it looked. "But we're isolated. An island nation and no wars."

Kida sat in his lap and draped her arms around his neck. Her eyes sparkled as bright as the energy tattoos on her face, and her hair had been pulled back into a complicated array of braids that kept it off her neck. That was more comfortable when racing around the city. She had been the one to bring all the furniture to their rooftop hideaway, and Milo had brought the tapestries and scrolls to keep himself busy. He was stronger physically than he used to be, but definitely not as agile or strong as Kida.

"You do not wish for wars."

"Oh, no. I don't mean that. I guess... a purpose. To be part of the city as more than a figurehead. Something to _do._ What place would you find for me here?"

"Oh, Milo," she murmured, leaning in to kiss his forehead. "You're not a function of how useful you are to me."

"The palace advisors—"

"Are stuffy old men who still think I'm a child," she scoffed. "They don't approve of my wandering through the city, but I help where I can and do what I can." She gave him that fond, sweet smile that turned his insides to jelly as she played with his hair. "You are the same. The spirit you have for my people, even when not your own..."

"I couldn't just sit back and do nothing!"

"Exactly. So you will help us however you choose, and all will be well."

"So... I can start a school?" he asked, tentatively running his fingers down her arm.

Kida laughed. "I will be your first student!" she crowed.

That definitely sounded like a yes, he thought as she covered his face in kisses.

***

The idea of a school was far grander than the reality of one. No one in the city knew how to read or write the Atlantean language, so he couldn't have a single set of hours to teach. Most of the number theory the children learned was of a practical nature, so there were no buildings set aside for a school. They didn't have active libraries, so he couldn't use that space.

Milo supposed it was flattering to be able to design and build a school from scratch, but he was simply overwhelmed. There weren't slide projectors or primers to start from. He would have to build everything, from class materials, curricula, homework...

"Why did I think I could do this?" he wailed, throwing his hands up. When they came back to his sides, they tangled in his embroidered robes. He fumbled with them, letting out a frustrated huff and glared at Kida when she laughed at him. "It's not funny."

"Yes, it is," she disagreed, still sprawled across the bed. _Their_ bed. It was wonderful to simply cuddle with her, gauzy materials floating all around them as the wind wafted through. Usually there wasn't much of a breeze or any kind of weather, but occasionally the volcano's temperature stirred up the air. It gave the room a more romantic air, but Milo wasn't in any mood for that. He was too worried about doing a good job. He was King now. He had responsibilities! He had to prove that Kida didn't screw up by choosing him to marry and not some buff Atlantean she'd grown up with.

But he stumbled and stuttered when he tried to explain that. He sounded like some kind of jealous idiot.

Shooting her a plaintive look, Milo sighed and gracelessly peeled off the robe he was getting tangled in. Kida got up from the bed and pushed the gauzy layers aside. She was always dressed in comfortable clothing, sometimes the more regal robes for ceremonies and—

"Whoa!" Milo cried, seeing her pull the knots loose. Her dress fell to the floor, and she was wearing nothing beneath it. "I wasn't... Kida, I... Um..."

"Sometimes you think too much," she chided him gently. "We don't need a fancy school, and we don't have all the books and pens and paper you speak of. We have each other, Milo." Daintily stepping over her discarded dress, she pulled off the rest of Milo's clothes until he was just as naked as she was.

"I want this to go well," he said, voice cracking. "So they're proud of me. so they're not sorry you stuck with me."

Kida cupped his cheek with one hand and his manhood with the other. "There is no regret, Milo. You proved you're with us. You protect this land and this city. You protect the people. You protect me."

"I can't, though. I'm not strong or fast or anything like that."

"There are other ways of protection, other ways to contribute. Haven't you been listening?"

"But is it enough?" he asked, voice breaking.

"That's enough."

"It's all I have to offer, Kida," he said, covering the hand on his cheek with one of his own. "That's all I am, all I'm really good at. I plan things, and it's all downhill from there. I want this to be perfect for you. Because you deserve the best."

 _And I'm not it,_ he didn't say aloud.

She drew him backward, toward the bed. "The crystals and the energies that flow in and through them. Do you know what they are?" she asked.

"Life force. Sentient, after a fashion," he said as the backs of her knees hit the bed. "It could choose you to hold the power."

"They know everything," she said, sitting. Her hand fell from his cheek, and he missed it keenly. But her other hand still cradled his length, nails lightly rubbing circles in a spot that made his toes curl. "They saw you, when I was locked in that cage. And _I_ saw you, after. And the people saw you. You're not a warrior, true—"

"Thanks," he muttered, looking down glumly.

"But those I have. I have plenty, and it is not a task that has need every day."

"It's important, though," Milo said. The way his voice cracked made him wince.

"Yes, but what is also important is one at my side, thinking of bettering the people. Bettering me. Building a future."

His plaintive expression was hopeful now. "Are you sure it's enough. That _I'm_ enough?"

Kida pulled him down and shimmied into the center of the bed. "Yes, Milo. Yes. For now, for always, for all the tomorrows that will ever be."

She moved to straddle him, a playful light in her eyes. "You taught me some." She traced a symbol on his stomach, making him squirm. Naming it, she grinned and swiveled her hips above him. "Shall I go through them all?"

"Not if you want me to last," he gasped.

"I am your first student," she teased, tracing another symbol on his stomach.

"And my best," he replied, twisting and trying not to laugh as it tickled.

She drew one of his hands between her things, and his fingers sought her eagerly. "Don't let the worry consume you, Milo. It will all be well, I promise."

Milo smiled until she took off his glasses. "Hey! I can't see!"

"See if I've learned my lessons well," she purred in a sultry tone, shifting off of him until she was kneeling sideways. His hand was still between her thighs, but now she could bend down to kiss, nuzzle, lick and fondle him at the same time.

She did so, eagerly and playfully, tracing symbols with her tongue onto his skin. He cried out at the sensation, and made her cry out in pleasure as well.

As long as she didn't regret, then neither would he. If he was enough, then he would continue to be. Milo would have to keep reminding himself of that fact.

***

The first class was held in the open square, the Heart of Atlantis beneath them. Milo could almost feel the pulse of the crystals, and hoped the ancestors approved of his idea. He had a big slab of rock that other Atlanteans had put upright to be his blackboard, and the crystal he wore around his neck could act as chalk. The people that had moved the large slab had found smaller bits in the same area so that his students could use them as slates to practice.

He was nervous, worse than when he had to present to the board at the museum. That had mattered, but this _mattered._ He was giving the people back their history and past of their culture, and he was the outsider here. Milo didn't want to come across as pedantic or insulting, didn't want the people think their new king was a raging idiot.

Kida was there, handing out the stones to children and caretakers alike. Later, the farmers, fishers and crafters might come; they didn't see writing as practical yet.

Milo grinned at her, and smiled at the children and caretakers. Not a one glowered at him, not a one looked like they resented him for being there.

Good first step.

"Good morning!" he said, but his voice was too loud and scratchy in the early morning. He stifled a groan as the children giggled at him. Kida shook her head, a playful smile on her face as she mouthed _relax._

"Raise your hand if you're nervous about being here," he said, raising his hand. Not a single person did so. "Just me, then," he mumbled. "Great."

He cleared his throat. "Let's start again. We're here to learn the alphabet and how to read Atlantean. It's a fascinating language, with each symbol representing sounds. Where I grew up, there are fewer sound combinations, and few letters, so we mix and blend them to make sounds. Here, each sound has its own symbol, so there's a lot for us to learn." He clasped his hands together, grinning as he warmed to his topic. This part didn't make him nervous at all. He enjoyed this, and was comfortable. This was who he was, first and foremost.

Without a primer to start from, Milo began with how he learned Atlantean – by the frequency of symbol appearance. Common sounds showed up often in texts, and that also meant he could sketch out simple words for the people to see and sound out. The littlest children grew antsy after a while, but then he had them jump up and down, play and call out the sounds as they sketched the symbols. The adults appreciated the movement break as well, and joined in on the singing for a time.

"That's probably enough for today, then," Milo said, grinning and bouncing on his toes. "We'll meet back here, same time tomorrow and keep working at it."

Afterward, when the children and caregivers were gone, Milo danced over to Kida, grinning, and grasped her hands. He danced an awkward jig, the two of them laughing all the while. "Not as bad as I thought," he laughed, twirling her around. "You were right, Kida."

"Of course I was," she laughed with him. "Aren't I always?"

"Well, I don't know about _always,"_ he teased.

She poked him in the chest, then spun him around as he had tried to spin her. "I think it's always," she declared loftily.

"Maybe," he said finally, laughing as he came to a stop. "So I worried for nothing."

"Not nothing," Kida said thoughtfully. "That makes you prepare. You were so very prepared for today."

"So that's me. Mr. Prepared."

"Which is very good in a king."

Milo grasped her in a tight hug. "That's all I want to be."

Kida's arms were tight and comforting, full of love and support. "And because you worry, because you prepare, you will be."

This time, Milo could believe it.

The End


End file.
